Many individuals struggling with addiction experience mixed feelings about quitting or reducing their substance use. MET aims to evoke and strengthen their motivation to change by addressing this ambivalence in a non-confrontational and empathetic manner. Although extrinsic motivators can spark initial action, intrinsic motivation is key for sustaining long-term recovery. Intrinsic motivation is more sustainable than extrinsic motivation, as it comes from within and is not reliant on external factors. This internal drive can provide lasting motivation for maintaining sobriety and overcoming challenges. If you find it difficult to make new, sober friends, try joining a support group.

Enhancing Motivation for Change in Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Updated 2019 [Internet].

They offer strategies and tools for managing cravings, triggers and keeping motivation. Engaging with others in recovery establishes camaraderie and connection. Support groups or 12-step programs let individuals share their tales, pick up wisdom from those who have gone through similar issues and get inspired by success stories. Finally, recovery motivation MET is flexible and adaptable to different stages of readiness for change. It recognizes that individuals may vary in their motivation levels and stage of change. MET techniques can be tailored to meet individuals where they are in their recovery journey, whether they are in pre-contemplation, contemplation, or preparation stages.

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This worksheet prompts the consideration and active planning of pleasurable and meaningful activities, including past and present interests, activities to discontinue, and new experiences to explore. Nevertheless, it is vital to recognize the changing nature of motivation in recovery. Motivation ebbs and flows over time and may differ in strength depending on the circumstances. To overcome addiction, you need to decide it internally, casting aside your previous denials and excuses and abandoning your old patterns of thinking and ways of life. Beating addiction also requires you to have the strength to ask for help when you can’t do it alone. 14-minute video clip from Melissa Byers about addiction, harm reduction, and recovery.

Substance Use Can Lead to Addiction

Others do well on their own making use of available community resources. Sustaining behavior change until new patterns become ingrained is difficult under the best of circumstances. In leaving addiction behind, most people have to restructure their everyday life, from what they think about and who they spend time with and where, to how they use their time, to developing and pursuing new goals.

First, make a private commitment to yourself and then make a commitment to your support team. Making a public commitment is tough, but it is stronger than a private one because now you are accountable to others and you won’t want to let them down. To seal the deal, give your support team a copy of your written plan or at least discuss your plan in detail with them. Even the best-laid plans don’t always go smoothly, and the inevitable obstacle or crisis will occur, often when you least expect it. To prepare for this, include names and phone numbers of people or agencies you can call for immediate help if you are in crisis. Though it is well known that individuals with addiction are often highly stigmatized, the judgment and stigma attached to sobriety is also very real.

18.2 million people who needed SUD treatment did not receive specialty treatment. 8.5 million adults ages 18 and older (3.4 percent of all adults) had both a mental disorder and at least one past-year SUD. 11.4 million people misused opioids (defined as prescription pain reliever misuse or heroin use) in the past year. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of the Stages of Change (SOC) approach is a useful overarching framework that can help you tailor specific counseling strategies to the different stages. Shift perspective to see relapse and other “failures” as opportunities to learn.

• Therapy may be critical to resolving underlying problems that made escape into substance use so appealing in the first place.
• These 100 quotes can help you understand why you turn to alcohol or drugs, galvanize you to confront your substance abuse, and inspire you to fix it.
• Each small victory, whether it’s reaching a sobriety milestone or developing a healthy routine, can be celebrated, recharging your motivational reserves.
• Motivation can fluctuate over different stages of the SOC and varies in intensity.
• Learning new coping skills for dealing with unpleasant feelings is another pillar of recovery.

Substance abuse can also lead to violence, trauma, injury or diseases such as HIV. Reading motivational or inspirational quotes can elicit change and help people avoid substance use. Many people who are discouraged by their behaviors use quotes as tools to build motivation and encouragement. Purchasing drugs from a dealer or alcohol from a nearby https://ecosoberhouse.com/ store can become a financial burden over time. Spending money on these substances could cut into paying for rent or bills. Abuse of tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs and prescription opioids costs the United States more than $740 billion each year in crime, health care and lost productivity, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

It begins with you building your internal motivation to want to recover for no one else besides yourself. Share progress with trusted loved ones or support groups for recognition and encouragement. Express gratitude for progress and positive changes during the recovery process to maintain purpose and appreciation. External factors matter, but inner obstacles such as negative thought patterns and self-defeating beliefs can also lead to a lack of motivation.